‘Facts don’t change’: Cornered by Trump tariffs, China courts European MPs but…

China is set to lift sanctions on five current and former Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who have spoken out against its human rights abuses, paving the way for renewed trade talks between the EU and China, according to a report, citing senior Parliament official.

But while Beijing may be offering an olive branch, European lawmakers warn that the core issues causing the rift — ranging from human rights abuses to aggressive industrial policies — remain unresolved, with one of the MEPs saying, “Facts do not change with lifting of sanctions.”

According to a Politico report, citing the official, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is expected to inform political group leaders of the development during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday.

Last week, Metsola’s spokesperson confirmed that talks between the European Parliament and the Chinese government to lift the sanctions were in their “final stages.”

The decision to remove the sanctions comes amid broader global trade tensions, following US President Donald Trump’s imposition of sweeping tariffs, particularly targeting Chinese imports. That disruption has prompted the EU to pursue trade negotiations with a wider range of partners.

Since China introduced the sanctions in 2021, the European Parliament has effectively frozen diplomatic engagement with Beijing, insisting that any formal contact be contingent on the sanctions being lifted.

Despite the thaw in relations, EU lawmakers have maintained their criticism of China, particularly over President Xi Jinping’s assertive trade and industrial strategies and ongoing human rights violations.

Bernd Lange, the Parliament’s lead MEP on international trade, cautioned that while dialogue with China may now resume, significant challenges still lie ahead for achieving a stable EU-China trade relationship.

“We are very concerned about China’s industrial policy that leads to market distortions and creates overcapacity that floods the world market,” Politico quoted Lange as saying, adding he also wants to “discuss intensively” the market access barriers China has imposed.

“Facts do not change with lifting of sanctions,” French Socialist MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, one of the sanctioned MEPs, told Politico.

“We are talking about mass deportations, systematic forced labour, atrocities against the Uyghurs, brutal repression and human rights violations in Hong Kong, threats, interference, and intimidations against Taiwan, and so many other grave human rights violations,” Glucksmann added.

The other sanctioned MEPs include Bulgarian liberal Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Slovak center-right politician Miriam Lexmann, and two Germans: Green Party member Reinhard Bütikofer and Christian Democrat Michael Gahler.

In recent months, EU-China engagement has intensified.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met with President Xi Jinping in mid-April, while EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has held discussions with Chinese officials. A high-level EU-China summit is scheduled for July.

With inputs from agencies